Review not a magic wand

The final recommendations of AFL Gippsland Commission on structures of leagues in the region to take effect next season have three important changes to the draft released earlier th.is year.

Nyora, initially slated to join Alberton league, obviously put a compelling case to stay in Ellinbank and district and Inverloch-Kongwak must have done the same to win its argument to be part of a new league that takes on old name, West Gippsland.

The “victim” from those two clubs winning their arguments has been Korumburra-Bena, now sent back to Alberton rather than being part of West Gippsland.

Word is that Korumburra-Bena will appeal the final recommendations but its case will have to be strong.

The review into league structures was by no means a magic wand and doesn’t mean everybody will live happily ever after.

Some of the key reasons for the club driven review were threats to sustainability of clubs due to the impracticality of a 15-club EDFL and 12 club Alberton league, the latter with major travel issues with its boundary stretching from Cowes on Phillip Island to DWWW (the Allies) in the Yarram district, and competitive imbalance at senior levels in those leagues.

It is a compliment to the review committee and AFL Gippsland that, apart from KorumburraBena, others seem happy with the new arrangements.

But football never stands still and there’ll be different sets of circumstances in 5-10 years.

As the 71-page report identifies, some other major issues have arisen as a result of the review committee’s detailed studies.

Junior football at senior club level - Under 18s and Under 16s - is really struggling.

So much so that another review into focussing on those age groups will start in June.

It will be interesting to see the terms of reference and what the AFL can do to stem the attrition rate among 13 and 14 year olds dropping out after Under 14s (not too many years ago it was 17 and 18 year olds that were most likely to stop playing).

There are a number of clubs throughout Gippsland unable to field one or both sides at Under 16 and Under 18 levels - some clubs doubt they ever will again - and the gaps between the top and bottom in the various leagues are often pretty wide.

The Under 18 and Under 16 review will be an even more difficult assignment than trying the get a better balance between senior sides.

Not mentioned in the review of the senior structures, because it was not part of the brief given the committee, was the ability of Gippsland - especially in lower population areas - to maintain in future the number of senior clubs that now exist.

Disbanding or merging are issues clubs don’t want to contemplate.

Emotions run high on that subject.

But a number of people from a range of clubs I have talked with think the future will see less clubs rather than the same or more.

Provided it’s not their club that disappears.